Life and Death
by amsrule
Summary: He's dead...how will she handle it? WARNING:character death! FAXNESS!


**Ok, this is just a sad little one-shot I thought up on the out-of-state trip I just took. Be prepared for angst and a cute little surprise in the end. WARNING: character death!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Maximum Ride or it's characters. And the song "My Wild Frontier" belongs to Faith Hill. You haven't heard it, listen to it when the part comes. **

* * *

A lone tear dripped down my cheek as I watched the men lower the oakwood coffin into it's muddy grave. I wrapped my arms around the two blonde-haired blue-eyed siblings on either side of me. There was Angel, who is 9, and the Gasman, who's 11. 

Unable to watch the scene any longer, I turned around and began to walk away. "Ig" I choked out to another of my flock, Iggy, who was 17. My blind companion grabbed Nudge's trembling hand and followed me closely, her leading the way. This event had taken a toll on every one of us. Nudge, who was also the Motormouth-as I called her-was totally silent for the first time in her entire 14 years of life.

We entered the church and I seated them in a pew near the altar, where there was a podium prepared for today's—my—speech. I walked up to his and waited as all of our friends and family sat. Because of his...condition...we decided not to have an open-casket ceremony-as usual.

"Alright" I began. "We're here today to pay our respects to our dearly beloved, and recently-passed, Jason Michaels. I'm Maxine Martinez-Michaels, his...fiancé." I fingered the simple diamond ring on my left-hand ring-finger as I caught the curious gazes from the flock.

"Jason...who went by Fang sometimes, was a wonderful, kind, generous young man. He was...we had just celebrated his 17th birthday. He doesn't deserve to die so young. But, if he was taken by God at such an age, he must be something special."

I swallowed back tears as I looked over the crowd. In the back right corner was Fang's skater crew, from school. In front of them, sat his teachers and our neighbors. And in the other row of pews, sat all of our (Me, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, Angel) friends from school and their parents. Oh, I guess I'd better explain.

* * *

After a while, we decided we needed to settle down a bit and stop running. We tried to find our parents and we came really close. We ended up escaping from the school with some information. But, the only helpful information we got was…well…nothing. It was just our experimenting charts and stuff. So, we went back to Anne's house (I still hate her) and went to school and lived a normal few years. Well, as normal as was possible for us Avian-Americans. We each created an alternate ego as well. (As you can tell, mine is Maxine Martinez, Fang's is Jason Michaels, etc.)

* * *

I cleared my throat before starting again. "I have spoken to doctors and medical practitioners and top-hauncho professionals, but they have found to cause of death. He isn't sick. It isn't suicide. It isn't homicide. Nothing!" 

Ok, so that wasn't the truth. Actually, it was a complete and total lie. I never broght him to a hospital, are you nuts?!?! I know that he died of blood loss. Oh, right, you don't know what happened…

* * *

We—the flock—decided that even though we had settled down, we would never be able to fully relax without destroying the school. So we went to do just that. We ended up planting some of Iggy and Gazzy's bombs around the school, ready to set them all off at once. Somehow, as Fang set up the last one, they all messed up and…well, exploded. 

Day turned to night as smoke and flames clouded the sky. Fang was thrown into the air and he landed a few miles over. His ankle bone split though his skin and his elbow was completely out of socket. His wings had been completely thrown off and his back was burnt. But, somehow (because of Fang's Avian-American biology I guess), he survived. Or, at least that's what we had hoped.

FLASHBACK

I looked over at Fang, whose breath had, all of a sudden, become ragged and dry. I knew that it was his back that was in pain, as it had been for the last three days. His wings were trying to grow back, but the skin had already grown over the holes from the previous wings. And on top of that, his back had been burnt, so the skin was raw and still healing.

I watched silently, unable to help, as he lay there in pure agony. His face was screwed together in pain and it was then that I realized he probably wouldn't make it though this.

I had to tell him.

So I did. I told him the one secret that I had kept from him over the past 3 ½ months. And get this…he accepted it! I felt my heart soar as he smiled, despite his pain. "Th-that's wonderful. I-I lo…" He muttered before his body stopped it's shaking and his eyes fluttered closed.

FLASHBACK ENDS

* * *

I pushed the memories from my head and started talking once more. 

"But, uhhh, anyway, I just…I know all of this is a hard thing for, well, all of us to get though. But we know he'll always be with us—in our hearts."

I left it at that. I stepped away from the podium and sat in the pew beside Iggy. When I leaned against him, he placed his long arm around my shoulders in a friendly gesture. I looked up into his sightless blue eyes, sighed, and watched politely as other people came up to the front and told tales and said prayers.

* * *

After a while, people began filing out. By then, it was around 7:40pm and the sun was setting beautifly. I ushered the flock outside. 

"Alright, go ahead and get in the car, I'll be right there." I instructed as I handed Nudge the keys. Iggy turned my way, a look of sheer regret on his face, and began to ask me something. But, I ignored his and ran as hard and fast as I could up the hill to watch the setting sun. All of a sudden, a song came to mind.

_Had me a sweet one, I tell no lie  
Summer nights in the cornfields  
When the corn gets so high  
We traveled clear across Wichita, headin' north  
Leavin' civilization_

_And there were highways to get across  
And places far from here  
And I was his lonesome prairie  
And he was my wild frontier_

_Harvested peaches in a small border town  
Saved all our wages  
Put ten percent down  
I never thought I'd see the world through a child's eyes  
Until early December_

_Then one Calgary morning  
Still as glass  
While my baby lay sleeping, an angel slipped past  
And with one breath said I'm taking him back  
To his Father in Heaven_

_Through gravel and ice and new fallen snow  
I held him through my tears  
Because I was his lonesome prairie  
And he was my wild frontier_

_Get along, get along, get along  
Get along, get along, get along  
Oh, oh, oh  
Get along, get along, get along  
Get along, get along, get along  
Oh, oh, oh_

_And sometimes at night  
I swear I can hear him  
Calling out so clear  
He says, "You were my lonesome prairie  
And I'm still your wild frontier"_

_Get along, get along, get along  
Get along, get along, get along  
Oh, oh, oh  
Get along, get along, get along  
Get along, get along, get along  
Oh, oh, oh_

Holding out the last note, I stood there watching the sky turn a wonderous swirl of pink and blue. Placing my hand on my stomach, I felt Talon kick. That's right, Talon, my—and Fang's—baby boy. This was the one thing I had to tell him, the one thing he needed to know. And, I'll admit, I was worried about his reaction. But he was happy about it! I just wish he could be here, right now, with me.

Shaking my head, I walked back down the hill carefully. I walked up to our red Montana Minivan, got in, and sped off, never once letting thoughts of Fang leave my mind.

"I Love You..."

* * *

**I hope you realized that was her thinking, the 'I love you' part. The lyrics, she sang. **

**Well, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long while. I caught a minor cold and a case of writer's block. Something Like That will be up soon, as soon as I start typing it…**

**Well, I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading and REVIEW!!!**


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